AI tax scare wipes out $300B: Why Samsung, Nvidia, and chip stocks fell

Semiconductor stocks slid after South Korean presidential policy aide floated a “citizen dividend” paid for by taxes on AI profits, triggering a sharp risk-off in tech. The Kospi plunged as much as 5.1%, wiping out more than $300 billion in market value before recovering to close down about 2.3%. Major chip names were hit — Samsung and SK Hynix fell roughly 4% intraday, while U.S. chip suppliers including Micron and AMD also declined; NVIDIA (NVDA.OQ) slipped modestly. The official later clarified the idea targeted “excess tax revenue” and that the comments reflected a personal view, which helped pare losses. The episode highlights investor sensitivity to potential policy-driven profit-sharing or windfall taxes on AI beneficiaries and short-term volatility risk for semiconductor equities.